NEW DELHI, Nov 27: The Government today said inputs indicate that attempts are being made to reactivate terror camps at Balakot in Pakistan which was bombed by the Indian Air Force fighters.
Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said in Rajya Sabha that the Central Government is committed to take all necessary steps to protect the borders of the country and maintain its integrity and sovereignty.
“Inputs indicate that attempts are being made by Pakistan-based terror outfits to reactivate its camp at Balakot and restart their religious and Jihadi indoctrination courses against India,” he said replying a written question.
The fighters of the Indian Air Force had bombed and destroyed the terror camp at Balakot on February 26 after terrorists attacked a convoy of CRPF vehicles, martyring 44 jawans on February 14.
Reddy said the Government has adopted a policy of zero-tolerance towards terrorism and the security forces are taking effective and continuous action in countering it as a result of which a large number of terrorists have been neutralised in Jammu and Kashmir during the past few years.
The Minister said in Jammu and Kashmir, this year till November 17, as many as 594 terror incidents have taken place in which 37 civilians and 79 security personnel were killed.
He said a total of 614 terrorist incidents have taken place in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018 in which 39 civilians and 91 security personnel were killed.
Reddy said upto October 2019, there have been 171 infiltration attempts from across the border of which 114 were successful.
In 2018, there were 328 infiltration attempts of which 143 were successful.
Meanwhile, Government today remained non-committal over the issue of restoring Internet facility in the Kashmir Valley.
When the House was discussing issue of broadband and Internet facility in rural areas of the country during Question Hour in Lok Sabha, National Conference MP Hasnain Masoodi said Internet has not been available in the Kashmir valley for the last four months and asked when the facility will be restored.
Speaker Om Birla said the matter is not in the domain of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
However, Masoodi countered that he was asking a question on broadband and Internet facility.
With this, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Sanjay Dhotre rose to reply that due to the security reasons, some restrictions have been imposed in Kashmir.
“The situation has improved a lot now,” Dhotre said, without giving any indication when the Internet facility will be restored in Kashmir.
Pre-paid mobile phones and all Internet services continued to remain suspended in Kashmir valley since 5 August when the Centre announced the decision to abrogate Article 370 of the Constitution and to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.
The Minister said Internet is being currently accessed mainly through mobile wireless technologies, which at present covers more than 95 per cent of the population of the country. (PTI)
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